


be brave

by ZeGabz



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: ;), Gen, This is assuming Rey is Han and Leia's daughter and Kylo Ren is her twin brother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-18
Updated: 2015-11-18
Packaged: 2018-05-02 06:55:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5238701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZeGabz/pseuds/ZeGabz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rey wonders how, in the span of a month, she managed to gain a mission to hunt the last Jedi in the galaxy, find her parents, and discover her long-lost twin is a homicidal pawn of the First Order hellbent on murdering her entire family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	be brave

**Author's Note:**

> Happy one month until The Force Awakens! I thought I'd post this little speculation fic in celebration! Keep in mind that I think Rey could be any kind of Skywalker, whether she is Luke or Leia's kid, I don't know. But I thought I would explore this idea. :)

"Be brave."

Those were the last words her mother said to her before she and her father left Rey on Jakku over a decade ago.

Rey remembers stuffy corridors filled with a steady stream of arguments between a melodic yet solid voice and a gruffer, deeper one. She remembers thick brown fur, the bright blue glow of hyperspace from the cockpit. Mostly, she remembers warmth, safety. Love.

It's funny, she thinks as she roams the Millenium Falcon, Finn a quiet presence behind her, how much hasn't changed since she was a young girl. Aside from having permission to man the turrets in a desperate dogfight for her life. That's new.

"So," she says softly, breaking the steady silence that had settled between her and her new companion, "What do you think of the Falcon?" Finn hesitates, eyes trailing up and down the worn ship.

"It's . . . ah, well it's certainly-"

"A piece of junk?" Rey finishes, arching an eyebrow. "It's okay, you can say it."

Finn laughs, scratching the back of his neck nervously. He's treading lightly around her, unsure and unwilling to offend her. If only he knew how refreshing his sincerity was, hell, is to her.

"Get some rest," she tells him with a small smile, an odd sensation after so long alone, so many years having nothing worth smiling about except blurry memories.

His hand rises, as if to gently pat her shoulder, but he hesitates again, hand awkwardly suspended between them. Dropping his hand and coughing, he shuffles off. Rey stares after him for a moment, curious.

"You seem to have a penchant for trouble, kid."

Rey snorts, turning to face her rescuer. "Yeah?" she replies, "I got it from my father." His mouth quirks into a small smile.

"Sounds like a bastard."

Rey elects not to respond to that, brushing past Solo and making her way towards the cockpit. Chewbacca gives her a cheery roar in greeting, and once again, she cannot help but smile.

"Hey, Chewie," she says softly, taking a seat in the co-pilot's seat he offers. He growls good-naturedly. She chuckles.

"Of course I remembered," she says quietly in reply, "Not much else to think about on Jakku."

She feels rather than sees Solo enter, eyes fixed on her intently. He's like her, in a sense. Not one for words. He sits in the pilot's seat and begins plotting coordinates for a new destination.

 _A new destination._  Finally.

 

The Resistance base is buzzing with life and energy, but also reeks of desperation. Rey hasn't known the finer details of the civil war between the First Order and those who had built the New Republic, now crumbling. But the situation is dire. That much she can see in the tired eyes of the pilots as they joke with each other between meals, in the slumped posture of soldiers as they return from failed missions.

It's not completely hopeless, however. Her father, certainly, had been ecstatic to return to the Yavin IV stronghold.

"Chewie," he had said with a smile, "We're home."

And despite the fear, the loss surrounding them all, Rey feels more at home at this base than she ever felt at Jakku.

Finn clings to her like a mynock to a starfighter, but she doesn't mind at all. He is the closest thing she has ever had to a friend, and she enjoys his company. When he's not exhausted and running for his life, he smiles widely and jokes often. He makes sure she leaves her quarters and explores the forest with him, getting to know the members of the Resistance. Forming bonds.

He likes her. She knows. She likes him too, and she usually doesn't like anyone.

Poe Dameron is odd. He offers to help Rey with her piloting and fighting skills in between missions. He's obviously still shaken from his capture, but he is determined to work all of the time.

Finn is reluctant to tell her how they know each other, so she doesn't ask. But he does talk about how he grew up, raised to serve the First Order until his dying day,

"Have you talked to them?" Finn asks her at lunch about a week into their time on Yavin IV. He doesn't need to elaborate.

Her mother and father are two of the top brass in the Resistance. General Leia Organa Solo is the most revered woman on the base, the one calling all of the shots. She is talked about in hushed, awed whispers, like a mythic figure above the rest. Captain Han Solo is more accessible to the common soldiers, but the legends of his exploits are told like folklore.

They also hid her away on Jakku whens he was a small child and never returned.

"We did it to protect you," Han had said. "We were losing everything. We couldn't lose you as well."

They haven't spoken of it since.

Han checks on her daily, asking if she needs anything, but is clearly awkward and unsure in every interaction with her. She doesn't really fault him for it, however. She is just as confused as he is.

All she knows is that she likes him. A lot. He's a kindred spirit: a man of few words and many actions. She's just…scared.

"I wouldn't know what to say," she replies, staring at the ground.

There's no easy way to go about getting to know the family that left you behind, but did it with the best of intentions. There's no simple answer to any of the questions flying through her head.

Finn doesn't try comforting her or encouraging her. Instead, he simply covers her hand in his, squeezing gently.

It helps.

 

"I need you to bring this to my brother," Leia tells her, eyes exhausted and alight with unshed tears. "And I need you to keep safe."

When Rey first touches Luke Skywalker's lightsaber, something just clicks. It's like a ripple through her entire being, as if a part of her is coming alive. She passes it to Finn as if it were burning her. His face echoes hers, and they both know that something has changed for them both.

Leia has a curious expression on her face, but she doesn't say anything, pulling Rey in for a tight hug.

"I am proud to have you as my daughter, my love," she whispers. "Be brave."

"Be brave," Rey echoes softly. "I won't let you down."

Leia is called by a commander to solidify evacuation plans for their base, soon to be under attack. She gives Rey a lingering, watery smile before leaving. Rey catches Dameron's eye as he awaits the General, and he sends her a wink. She manages a small smile.

"You might need this," Solo tells her wryly, pulling a chrome blaster from his belt. "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side."

 

Kylo Ren is the most terrifying presence she has ever encountered. He is enshrouded in darkness, walking firmly with murderous purpose.

"You don't remember me, do you?" He asks, stalking up to her slowly from behind. "Solo didn't tell you."

"Tell me what?" Rey growls, tightly gripping the blaster in her hand.

Be brave, she tells herself. Be brave.

Ren laughs, his cruel cackle sending chills to her bones. "I always wondered what happened to you. If they abandoned you the way they abandoned me."

She wants to run. But she cannot, not yet. She has been cornered before, she knows that patience is key.

"Abandoned?" she asks, slightly turning her gaze as his lightsaber crackles to life by her neck, stray sparks from its unstable blade singing her jaw.

"You think you're special, Rey Solo?" Ren demands. "You think you are the last of the legendary Skywalker line? You think yourself worthy to bear the glory of the Dark Lord himself?"

"I think nothing," Rey growls. "I am nothing."

Ren laughs again, his blade moving ever closer to her neck. "If only that were true, my sister. Perhaps then I could spare you."

She runs.

 

Rey wonders how, in the span of a month, she managed to gain a mission to hunt the last Jedi in the galaxy, find her parents, and discover her long-lost twin is a homicidal pawn of the First Order hellbent on murdering her entire family.

Including her uncle. Her uncle who happens to be the focus of her mission.

Her uncle who is Luke Skywalker.

He's hidden away, deep in the Outer Rim. Finn offers her the lightsaber, citing that it did belong to her uncle, after all, but she refuses, clinging tightly to her staff.

The Force cannot flow through her. The Force is magical, a myth. She's no one. Magic does not find people like her.

Luke Skywalker is not the grand hero she had imagined, or the war-torn general Finn had described. He is quiet, thoughtful. A rough beard covers his face, and his kind, gentle eyes meet hers with ease.

"It's good to finally meet you," Skywalker says.

"Finally?" Rey queries, Finn standing stiffly behind her. Skywalker chuckles softly, lowering the hood of his cloak.

"I've been watching you your whole life," the Jedi Master murmurs. "You remind me of another young upstart who used to dream of adventure, of the next fight, of leaving a planet going nowhere." He looks over at Finn. "You have that same fire within you."

"How can you know that?" Finn asks, "How can you know us?"

Skywalker's eyes are distant as he replies, "The Force is strong in my family." He flexes his exposed mechanical hand. "My father had it. I have it. My sister has it." His eyes wander back up, fixing on her and Finn. "You have that power too."

"No," Rey whispers, shaking her head, "No, you're wrong. I can't have the Force. I'm a scavenger. I'm nothing."

"You're the key to all of this," Skywalker insists, "And I believe you know this. You feel the Force inside you, alive and flourishing."

Finn's hand gently envelops hers, giving her a solid ground to cling to.

"I'm no hero," Rey murmurs.

Skywalker shrugs. "I think the galaxy has had its fill of heroes." He tilts his head. "I have failed this galaxy. I was not able to save it myself. But maybe I wasn't meant to." He looks them squarely in the eyes. "I can train you. I can teach you to use the Force, to control it. I can help you become Jedi." He pulls another lightsaber from under his cloak, tossing it to Finn before offering her the one she went through so much effort to bring to him.

"Jedi," Finn breathes.

Both turn to her.

"Are you ready?" Skywalker asks.

 _Be brave_ , she tells herself. _Be brave._

She takes the lightsaber and ignites it.


End file.
